Post by linewifekat on Feb 15, 2017 18:02:58 GMT -5
We went to bed at 10:30pm on Tuesday night and I lost my mucus plug when I went to the bathroom. DD1 woke up at 1:25am so DH went to go sleep with her and I woke up really nauseous so I went to get our barf bowl and to sit on the toilet. At 1:40am I felt a thump on the inside and a trickle. I wasn't sure if my water broke or if I peed so I got up and walked around and had more gushing. So I woke up DH and texted my midwife and tried to go back to bed. I was up every hour with diarrhea so I didn't get much sleep.
When DD1 woke up the three of us went for a walk to feed the animals and walked around our property trying to get labor started.
My midwife called and she suggested taking castor oil and she would come by our house for my 11am appointment that we had scheduled. I drank the castor oil shake at 9, 10, and 11 am and finally got some timeable contractions around 10:45am. My friend showed up about that time to watch over DD1 for the birth and we had a good visit with her.
Our midwife and student midwife arrived around 11:45am and began setting up for the birth. She preformed a cervical exam and my cervix was 50% effaced, 2 cm and very posterior. Contractions were lasting around 50 seconds and 2-4 minutes apart but very manageable. With every contraction, I lifted up my belly to try to help my cervix move forward. My doula and birth assistant arrived about an hour after the midwives got there and it was nice to have the whole birth team there.
Around 3:00pm my good friend who is a massage therapist came and gave me a massage with essential oils to help my labor strengthen and she stayed for about 2 hours. She reminded me to relax during every contraction.
Around 5:15, my midwife reminded me that if I wanted to use the pool we would need a heads up to get it blown up so she suggested another cervical exam. I consented and I was only 3-4 cm, 80% effaced but my cervix had moved forward and baby's head was now putting more pressure on my cervix rather the front of my uterus. In hindsight, I think she thought I was further along than I was.
She suggested that I lay down for awhile since I had been laboring upright for over 5 hours and I should let my feet and legs have a break. I labored on my side until around 6:45pm taking breaks to use the restroom.
My chiropractor came to the house to adjust me around 7:15pm. After that, I alternated between laboring backwards on the toilet and slow dancing with DH. I noticed that if I kept my bladder empty the contractions weren't as painful.
I got back in bed around 9:00 to rest my legs and became more vocal during the contractions. My midwife checked me at 9:15pm and I was 6cm and 90% effaced. I got up to use the bathroom and labored on the toilet and leaning on the bathroom counter swaying my hips until 10:30pm. I got in the shower on my hands and knees with DH spraying my back until 11:00 when the hot water ran out. While in the shower I was having the thoughts that I couldn't do it and still being very vocal dieing every contraction. DH was great giving me pep talks and getting in my face with encouraging words.
My midwife checked me again after I got out of the shower and I was 8cm. My pulse was getting high so she reminded me to take deep breaths and try to calm down. She checked it again a few minutes later and it had gone back down.
At 11:15 they gave me a tincture called Smooth Transitions and that helped for a few contractions so they gave a second dose at 11:30 which didn't help. At 11:40 my body started pushing at the peak of the contraction so she checked me again and I had a cervical lip. I got on my hands and knees with my birth ball on the bed and tried to breathe through the contractions to let the rest of the cervix move past baby's head.
At 11:54pm I couldn't breathe through them anymore so my midwife held back the lip and I was able to push. I got off the bed and onto the birth stool with DH sitting behind me. I pushed there with my midwife using warm compresses and supporting my perineum to prevent tearing. He was fully crowned at 12:06am and born at 12:07am. I delivered the placenta and they cleaned me up and I got back into bed.
They did the newborn exam and my doula fed me a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. My midwife checked me for tears and I just had bruising and swelling. They made me an herbal sitz bath and got me back into bed after I was done. They finished gathering the laundry and cleaning up and checked our vitals again then left so we could get some sleep.
TL:DR Gra.dy No.rris was born at 12:07am at home weighing 8 lbs. 12.5 oz. and 21.25 inches long.
When DD1 woke up the three of us went for a walk to feed the animals and walked around our property trying to get labor started.
My midwife called and she suggested taking castor oil and she would come by our house for my 11am appointment that we had scheduled. I drank the castor oil shake at 9, 10, and 11 am and finally got some timeable contractions around 10:45am. My friend showed up about that time to watch over DD1 for the birth and we had a good visit with her.
Our midwife and student midwife arrived around 11:45am and began setting up for the birth. She preformed a cervical exam and my cervix was 50% effaced, 2 cm and very posterior. Contractions were lasting around 50 seconds and 2-4 minutes apart but very manageable. With every contraction, I lifted up my belly to try to help my cervix move forward. My doula and birth assistant arrived about an hour after the midwives got there and it was nice to have the whole birth team there.
Around 3:00pm my good friend who is a massage therapist came and gave me a massage with essential oils to help my labor strengthen and she stayed for about 2 hours. She reminded me to relax during every contraction.
Around 5:15, my midwife reminded me that if I wanted to use the pool we would need a heads up to get it blown up so she suggested another cervical exam. I consented and I was only 3-4 cm, 80% effaced but my cervix had moved forward and baby's head was now putting more pressure on my cervix rather the front of my uterus. In hindsight, I think she thought I was further along than I was.
She suggested that I lay down for awhile since I had been laboring upright for over 5 hours and I should let my feet and legs have a break. I labored on my side until around 6:45pm taking breaks to use the restroom.
My chiropractor came to the house to adjust me around 7:15pm. After that, I alternated between laboring backwards on the toilet and slow dancing with DH. I noticed that if I kept my bladder empty the contractions weren't as painful.
I got back in bed around 9:00 to rest my legs and became more vocal during the contractions. My midwife checked me at 9:15pm and I was 6cm and 90% effaced. I got up to use the bathroom and labored on the toilet and leaning on the bathroom counter swaying my hips until 10:30pm. I got in the shower on my hands and knees with DH spraying my back until 11:00 when the hot water ran out. While in the shower I was having the thoughts that I couldn't do it and still being very vocal dieing every contraction. DH was great giving me pep talks and getting in my face with encouraging words.
My midwife checked me again after I got out of the shower and I was 8cm. My pulse was getting high so she reminded me to take deep breaths and try to calm down. She checked it again a few minutes later and it had gone back down.
At 11:15 they gave me a tincture called Smooth Transitions and that helped for a few contractions so they gave a second dose at 11:30 which didn't help. At 11:40 my body started pushing at the peak of the contraction so she checked me again and I had a cervical lip. I got on my hands and knees with my birth ball on the bed and tried to breathe through the contractions to let the rest of the cervix move past baby's head.
At 11:54pm I couldn't breathe through them anymore so my midwife held back the lip and I was able to push. I got off the bed and onto the birth stool with DH sitting behind me. I pushed there with my midwife using warm compresses and supporting my perineum to prevent tearing. He was fully crowned at 12:06am and born at 12:07am. I delivered the placenta and they cleaned me up and I got back into bed.
They did the newborn exam and my doula fed me a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. My midwife checked me for tears and I just had bruising and swelling. They made me an herbal sitz bath and got me back into bed after I was done. They finished gathering the laundry and cleaning up and checked our vitals again then left so we could get some sleep.
TL:DR Gra.dy No.rris was born at 12:07am at home weighing 8 lbs. 12.5 oz. and 21.25 inches long.
